A prominent pop musician in Hong Kong has been arrested by the city’s corruption agency for singing at an election rally more than three years ago.
The territory’s Independent Commission Against Corruption took Anthony Wong, 59, a Cantonese pop star and pro-democracy advocate, into custody today. It said that he had performed two songs at a 2018 rally for the pro-democracy candidate Au Nok-hin, 34, in a legislative by-election.
The city’s corruption agency also charged Au, in part for publicising Wong’s appearance at the rally on social media. Au went on to win the election.
The agency said in a statement that the city’s Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance prescribes a crime of corruption if a person provides all or part of the cost of food, drink or entertainment for another person for the purpose of inducing others to vote or not to vote for a candidate in an election.
Local media said Wong has been released on bail and is due to appear in court on Thursday.
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Au has been in jail since March. He was one of the 47 pro-democracy activists arrested for alleged subversion over an unofficial primary election held last year.
More than 100 pro-democracy activists have been arrested or are on self-imposed exile since Beijing introduced a national security law in Hong Kong and overhauled the city’s election system that reduced slots for directly elected lawmakers.
Wong was the vocalist for the pop duo Tat Ming Pair in the 1980s before launching a solo career. In recent years he has been vocal about the city’s pro-democracy movements; he was banned from performing in mainland China as a result.
A popular songwriter known for his poignant lyrics, Wong was a strong supporter of Hong Kong’s 2014 pro-democracy “Umbrella” movement and the 2019 anti-China protests. He is also a vocal advocate of LGBT rights.
Wong’s appearance for Au in 2018 was captured in a video that was posted to the latter’s Facebook page. Before singing A Forbidden Fruit Per Day, Wong was filmed saying: “This song is about choice, whether society has a choice.”
